Updated: July 12, 2005, 4:46 PM ET
Dalembert, Chandler, Curry sitting and waiting
By Chad Ford
So far during this free agency season, the guards are getting most of the love, while the big men sit and watch.
There are at least five reasons for this reversal of the usual state of affairs:
First, the quality of the guards available has exceeded that of the frontcourt players. All-Stars Ray Allen and Michael Redd along with Larry Hughes, Joe Johnson and reigning Most Improved Player Bobby Simmons have drawn great interest and have big offers lined up.
Second, some of the teams in the market for big men are not in a financial position, thanks to the salary cap, to make moves at this point, especially Dallas, New York and Los Angeles.
Third, the best bigs this year are restricted free agents, which means the urgency to make a deal is lower, thanks to the moratorium on signing free agents (which is scheduled to end July 22) and the fact that teams have to wait seven days to see if the player is theirs.
Fourth, most of the top big men available will be retained by their current teams, if we believe those teams when they say they will match any offer their free agents receive.
Fifth, the Hawks. Instead of making reasonable attempts to sign free agents who would want to play in Atlanta, Billy Knight, the Hawks' GM, wasted his time and energy on Ray Allen, Zydrunas Ilgauskas and others who would never consider going to the bottom-feeding Hawks.
Now, however, as most of the big-time guards have been taken off the board, the market is heating up, thanks to Knight and other GMs. We have our first major deal for a big man, as the Cleveland Cavaliers have retained Ilgauskas for five years at an estimated $55-60 million.
Next up: younger, more athletic but less proven restricted free agents such as Samuel Dalembert of the Philadelphia 76ers, and Tyson Chandler and Eddy Curry of the Chicago Bulls.
These teams have been slow to re-sign these guys, but as the Hawks get active -- and perhaps the Seattle SuperSonics and New Orleans Hornets do too -- with their available dollars under the salary cap, the Sixers and Bulls may also jump into the ring.
Insider made some calls around the league during the past few days and offers this status report.
Samuel Dalembert: Of the three top big men on the market, Dalembert has the most upside. He has great range and is athletic, with great shot blocking instincts. He's shown he can be a volume rebounder and his offensive game is emerging. He was very inconsistent at times this season, but in the playoffs against the Pistons, he played the part of a franchise center. Will he get paid like one?
The Sixers made a power move this offseason, firing head coach Jim O'Brien (who wasn't a Dalembert fan) and replacing him with Mo Cheeks (who is). Philly let it be known that O'Brien was fired, in part, because the Sixers are committed to Dalembert. That's been enough to discourage other teams from pursuing Dalembert. Almost every GM in the league that Insider talked to believes Philadelphia would match even a max offer.
Don't be so sure. The Sixers have been meeting with Dalembert's agent but have been unable to strike a deal. Philly apparently has drawn a line in the sand millions away from a max-type offer. Dalembert, who's had a rocky four years, with four different coaches in just the last two years, isn't impressed.
The Hawks and Sonics are both big fans of Dalembert and have the money to offer big dollars. Other teams, like the Knicks, are willing to do sign-and-trades.
Tyson Chandler: Chandler is younger than Dalembert and has produced at about the same rate or better, especially when he's been healthy. He's a better rebounder than Dalembert and a superior overall defender. The fact that he's a legit 7-foot-2 and has a tremendous work ethic also helps his cause. But questions about his back and his lack of an offensive game have raised questions about Chander's value in free agency.
It's also widely believed that the Bulls will match any offer for Chandler. He's a favorite of Chicago GM John Paxson and the Bulls know they can't afford to lose both Chandler and Curry this summer. If Paxson has to choose, Chandler is the guy.
The problem for Chandler is getting a team such as Atlanta or Seattle to make a move for him. While those teams have shown polite interest, none has been willing to offer the big deal it would take for Chicago to think twice.
Meanwhile, Chandler continues to wait for the Bulls to make a big offer. He is hoping that Dalembert will cut a lucrative deal, setting the market. As it stands right now, both remain in limbo.
If the Bulls' offer does not rise significantly this summer, look for Chandler to sign his one-year tender offer and become an unrestricted free agent next summer.
Eddy Curry: Curry is the hardest free agent of the three to project. Offensively, he's light-years ahead of both Dalembert and Chandler. But he's also the shortest of the group, a listless defender and, at best, an ordinary rebounder. That he's struggled with his weight over the years and a mysterious heart ailment recently hasn't helped his cause.
Curry is still waiting for an offer from the Bulls. He's spent the past few weeks in Chicago, working out with Michael Jordan's former trainer, Tim Grover, to get back into playing shape.
Of the other teams, the Hawks have shown the most interest in Curry and invited him to visit this week. However, Curry balked until he could get in better shape.
While Paxson maintains that the team wants to re-sign Curry, the GMs Insider spoke with all believe the Bulls are posturing. The Bulls don't want him back if he's going to command a big salary and are hoping that they can work out a sign-and-trade that gets them something back in return. The rumor has been that a Curry-for-Al Harrington swap might be the final resolution of the Eddy Curry era in Chicago.
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Dalembert, Chandler, Curry sitting and waiting
By Chad Ford
So far during this free agency season, the guards are getting most of the love, while the big men sit and watch.
There are at least five reasons for this reversal of the usual state of affairs:
First, the quality of the guards available has exceeded that of the frontcourt players. All-Stars Ray Allen and Michael Redd along with Larry Hughes, Joe Johnson and reigning Most Improved Player Bobby Simmons have drawn great interest and have big offers lined up.
Second, some of the teams in the market for big men are not in a financial position, thanks to the salary cap, to make moves at this point, especially Dallas, New York and Los Angeles.
Third, the best bigs this year are restricted free agents, which means the urgency to make a deal is lower, thanks to the moratorium on signing free agents (which is scheduled to end July 22) and the fact that teams have to wait seven days to see if the player is theirs.
Fourth, most of the top big men available will be retained by their current teams, if we believe those teams when they say they will match any offer their free agents receive.
Fifth, the Hawks. Instead of making reasonable attempts to sign free agents who would want to play in Atlanta, Billy Knight, the Hawks' GM, wasted his time and energy on Ray Allen, Zydrunas Ilgauskas and others who would never consider going to the bottom-feeding Hawks.
Now, however, as most of the big-time guards have been taken off the board, the market is heating up, thanks to Knight and other GMs. We have our first major deal for a big man, as the Cleveland Cavaliers have retained Ilgauskas for five years at an estimated $55-60 million.
Next up: younger, more athletic but less proven restricted free agents such as Samuel Dalembert of the Philadelphia 76ers, and Tyson Chandler and Eddy Curry of the Chicago Bulls.
These teams have been slow to re-sign these guys, but as the Hawks get active -- and perhaps the Seattle SuperSonics and New Orleans Hornets do too -- with their available dollars under the salary cap, the Sixers and Bulls may also jump into the ring.
Insider made some calls around the league during the past few days and offers this status report.
Samuel Dalembert: Of the three top big men on the market, Dalembert has the most upside. He has great range and is athletic, with great shot blocking instincts. He's shown he can be a volume rebounder and his offensive game is emerging. He was very inconsistent at times this season, but in the playoffs against the Pistons, he played the part of a franchise center. Will he get paid like one?
The Sixers made a power move this offseason, firing head coach Jim O'Brien (who wasn't a Dalembert fan) and replacing him with Mo Cheeks (who is). Philly let it be known that O'Brien was fired, in part, because the Sixers are committed to Dalembert. That's been enough to discourage other teams from pursuing Dalembert. Almost every GM in the league that Insider talked to believes Philadelphia would match even a max offer.
Don't be so sure. The Sixers have been meeting with Dalembert's agent but have been unable to strike a deal. Philly apparently has drawn a line in the sand millions away from a max-type offer. Dalembert, who's had a rocky four years, with four different coaches in just the last two years, isn't impressed.
The Hawks and Sonics are both big fans of Dalembert and have the money to offer big dollars. Other teams, like the Knicks, are willing to do sign-and-trades.
Tyson Chandler: Chandler is younger than Dalembert and has produced at about the same rate or better, especially when he's been healthy. He's a better rebounder than Dalembert and a superior overall defender. The fact that he's a legit 7-foot-2 and has a tremendous work ethic also helps his cause. But questions about his back and his lack of an offensive game have raised questions about Chander's value in free agency.
It's also widely believed that the Bulls will match any offer for Chandler. He's a favorite of Chicago GM John Paxson and the Bulls know they can't afford to lose both Chandler and Curry this summer. If Paxson has to choose, Chandler is the guy.
The problem for Chandler is getting a team such as Atlanta or Seattle to make a move for him. While those teams have shown polite interest, none has been willing to offer the big deal it would take for Chicago to think twice.
Meanwhile, Chandler continues to wait for the Bulls to make a big offer. He is hoping that Dalembert will cut a lucrative deal, setting the market. As it stands right now, both remain in limbo.
If the Bulls' offer does not rise significantly this summer, look for Chandler to sign his one-year tender offer and become an unrestricted free agent next summer.
Eddy Curry: Curry is the hardest free agent of the three to project. Offensively, he's light-years ahead of both Dalembert and Chandler. But he's also the shortest of the group, a listless defender and, at best, an ordinary rebounder. That he's struggled with his weight over the years and a mysterious heart ailment recently hasn't helped his cause.
Curry is still waiting for an offer from the Bulls. He's spent the past few weeks in Chicago, working out with Michael Jordan's former trainer, Tim Grover, to get back into playing shape.
Of the other teams, the Hawks have shown the most interest in Curry and invited him to visit this week. However, Curry balked until he could get in better shape.
While Paxson maintains that the team wants to re-sign Curry, the GMs Insider spoke with all believe the Bulls are posturing. The Bulls don't want him back if he's going to command a big salary and are hoping that they can work out a sign-and-trade that gets them something back in return. The rumor has been that a Curry-for-Al Harrington swap might be the final resolution of the Eddy Curry era in Chicago.
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OMG lets just trade Amare for Duncan and Manu
